Mini Darth Vader from Super Bowl Commercial Has Open Heart Surgery

You might not know the name Max Page, but you’ve seen him on TV. The sweet little guy who played mini Darth Vader in that Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial last year just had open heart surgery. He’s doing great after having a new heart valve installed.

The 7-year-old, who also appears on The Young and the Restless, was born with a congenital heart defect. As a Junior Ambassador of the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, he’s raising money for other children with heart conditions. His mom, Jennifer Page, says he has a great attitude.

“Mom I don’t have a choice,” he told her. “I have to go through it. I don’t like it and it’s still scary — but I have to. So I think I might as well go through it with a good attitude.” Ok, Max Page for President!

Jennifer said the best way for people to honor Max is to visit his Junior Ambassador page at chla.org/max and donate to the hospital to help other families in similar situations. Max’s page has raised close to $11,000, and an additional $500 has been given to the Ronald McDonald House in Los Angeles in Max’s honor.

Here’s the VW Super Bowl commercial that went viral. More than 53 million views so far!

Jane Boursaw is the founder and editor-in-chief of Reel Life With Jane. Her credits include hundreds of print and online publications, including The New York Times, People Magazine, Variety, Moviefone, TV Squad and more. Follow her on Twitter at @reellifejane.